An Otaku's Array of Arsenal
by Skank Hoe Yuna
Summary: An article I wrote for my friend, Sakura, to post on her website Sakura's Senshi Circle (www.sailorastera.com). Basically, it talks about the latest uprising trend in otaku senshi: WEAPONS


**The Ultimate Uprising Trend: An Otaku's Array of Arsenal**  
_By Aki 6.24.03_

Nowadays, as an otaku senshi creator, I've seen growing trends in the senshi that people are turning out. Most of the sesnhi I've seen have all one thing in common: weaponry. __

When I look at otakus now and read through their stats, I see a lot of senshi with weapons. I find peoples characters now holding an array of arsenal. But the most common weapons that I've seen are the three S's: staffs, scepters, and scythes. 

Now these weapons are all fine and dandy (and even better when you have a great story behind them too), but many of the otaku artists give their senshi these weapons without knowing the meanings behind the artillery that they bestow upon their characters. 

The Staff: The staff is generally seen as a symbol of authority in early societies. Staffs are also used by witches/wizards/magic users to direct their energy to a certain place and direction, much like a wand. 

The Scepter: Scepters were also a symbol of authority, sovereignty, and also a symbol of high society or that of a King or Queen. 

The Scythe: The scythe a common symbol of death (the Grim Reaper was always pictured holding a scythe). 

Personally, I think the reason why most new creators choose from these three weapons is that they want their character to have a weapon cooler than Pluto's Time Key, shinier than Saturn's Glaive, and just as powerful as any of Moon's weapons. Also, they must feel that if they give their new character an awesome weapon, it would make them (the character) more important and give them attention, too. 

Face it, we all want attention. We all want to feel important. So, why not stand out and do something different? Try giving your senshi a weapon no one has used yet! For example, my senshi Sailor Vulcan has a big stone hammer. Some things that are hardly used are: 

• Axes  
• Bow and arrow  
• Crossbow  
• Spears  
• Lances  
• Daggers  
• Whips  
• Throwing stars

And if your senshi is defensive, why not give her a spiffy shield or shiny armor? Creating new and interesting weapons is a way to let your imagination go wild! 

Here are a few tips I have on making better weapons: 

Keep it simple!  
No one keeps anything simple anymore. Don't give your weapon so many decorations. How do you think that will affect you senshi's performance in battle? 

For example, your senshi is in a heated battle and she pulls out her sword (this is only an example!) that is adorned with wings and ribbons and encrusted with the jewels of her home planet. And as she goes to attack the evil enemy of evil-ness, she can't pick up her sword because it's so heavy and the ribbons get tangled around her hands! What will she do now? 

You don't want that to happen! So, instead of putting all of your favorite decorations on the weapon, just choose one you think goes best with your characters powers. 

Some really overused decorations I see are wings. I advise you, even though wings are beautiful, don't use them unless your senshi has something to do with wind. If you use them even though she's not of a wind element, then you better have a really good story to explain why they're there. 

It doesn't have to be elaborate to be powerful  
Exactly what it says. Your senshi's weapon doesn't have to be extremely decorative to pack a powerful punch. Concealing how powerful your character is a great way of fooling your enemies. Instead of giving your senshi some huge decorative weapon that shows how much power s/he can wield, give her something that no one would expect to be powerful. 

The story behind the weapon  
It's also important to have a good story about your weapon. You can't just say, "Well, she's always had it…" In the background story, explain how she got her weapon (was it awarded to her? Did she make it herself?), why she has it (did she used to guard something in the Silver Millennium like Pluto?), and how she uses it. 

I'll use Sailor Vulcan as an example. The reason why I chose a hammer as Vulcan's weapon is because she's based on the Greek god, Hephaestus, the god of the forge. I said that the reason is why she has the weapon is that she when she was alerted by Zeus (who ruled of the planet, Olympus) to help the senshi in stopping Sailor Nemesis from killing off the sailor scouts and the entire human race, she forged herself a hammer before she left for battle. 

If you plan out your senshi and think everything through, I'm sure you'll turn out with a great senshi with an awesome array of armory! Everything takes time (heck, it took me three years to get Vulcan to where she is today). Ask your friends to hear your ideas out and ask them if they will help edit your mistakes to make your characters better!


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